A weekly look through the archives at how the century progressed February 26, 1918: 'Terrible calamity at Race Course'. 'Matsheds Collapse'. 'Hundreds of People Buried Alive'. 'Fire Raging Now'.
These were the headlines which announced the world's worst racetrack disaster, even to date.
'The whole of the matsheds which were occupied by thousands of Chinese collapsed like a pack of cards and thousands of people were buried alive,' wrote a breathless reporter.
'To make matters very much worse, fire was seen to start, this apparently being due to the fact that stoves which were used to cook food overturned and the flames . . . set fire to the whole, which burnt like tinder.
'It is feared that there will be many deaths due to this great catastrophe. Fire is raging at the time we go to press.' On the same page of the Hong Kong Telegraph, the racing column was allowed to run as written.
'The rise in temperature,' the columnist wrote with no premonition, 'had led some to predict an early fall of rain, but it seems that the 1918 meeting is going to be a fine one . . .
'The Derby 1918 will go down as one of the most sensational races ever ridden in Hong Kong . . . for a rank outsider as Tytam Chief to win made the victory absolutely sensational and Sir Ellis Kadoorie, as he lead [sic] in his pony was given a demonstration that was really remarkable.' When the bodies were counted the following day, there were about 600, with many more hospitalised with terrible injuries.